Suction-vapor heating system



W. M. SMITH SUCTION-VAPOR HEATING SYSTEM Sept. 16, 1941.

Filed July 26, 1959 w V II 1 \\\\W Mw W hf N i M. MNYNN Mum Z v f w fl fl r if Patented Sept. 16, 1941 UNITED ST TES PAT N T FECZE SUCTION-VAPOR HEATING SYSTEM William M. Smith,0hicago, 111., assignor to Vapor Car Heating Company, Inc.,.Chicago, Ill.,.a corporation of N cw'York Application July 26, 1939, Serial No. 286,544

1 Claim.

This invention relates to certain new and use- 'ful improvements in a steam heating system,

more particularly a system of the so-called vapor typein which steam at substantially atmospheric pressure is circulated through the radiating'units.

According to this invention an exhauster or "aspirator is provided in the steam supply pipe through which aspirator the steam first intro- "duced to this system under an initial pressure is passed under increased velocity to create a suction which :serves to draw fluids from the radiating units and lower the pressure therein and thus draw low-pressure steam from the supply-pipe beyond the aspirator into and through the respective radiating units.

The principal object of "this invention is to provide an improved heating system of the type briefly described hereinabove and dis-closed more in detail in the specifications which follow.

Another object is to provide improved means for circulating low-pressure steam.

Another object is to provide improved means for heating aplurality of separate spaces or compartments, especially in a railway car.

Other objects and advantages of this inven-i tion will be more apparent from the following detailed description of certain forms of apparatus constructed and operating according to the principles :of this invention.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic layout of the heating system.

Fig. 2 is a central vertical section through the exhauster unit.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing a modification.

Referring first to Fig. 1, the improved heating system comprises in general the main source of steam supply. A, the vapor regulator B, the several radiating'units C, C and C" provided with the respective control valves D, D and D", the aspirator or exhauster E, and the piping connecting these several elements as hereinafter described.

The steam source A 'is indicated as a main pipe extending from the steam generator (not shown). For example, when the system is used on .a railway car (for which use this system is particularly designed), the pipe A Will be the main steam pipe which extends throughout the length of the train, from car to car, and usually receives its steam from the locomotive. A pipe *I leads from train-pipe A to the inlet chamber '2 of vapor-regulator B. If the steam in pipe A 55 contact with thermostatic element It.

is under too great a pressure, a pressure reducing valve 3 may be positioned in the pipe I.

The vapor-regulator B may be of anyrsuitable type, the well-known form here shown byway of example comprising the inlet chamber 2 and outlet chamber 4 connected by port 5 which may be closed by the movable valve member 6. Valve .6 is connected through the link and lever system l, 8 and 9 with the expansible thermostatic element Hi. When thermostatic element I0 is surrounded by =steam or subjected to a steam temperature, it will expand and close the valve 6. When the temperature in chamber H sur- I through pipes 82 and I3 will, for the most .part,

drain out through the outer passage i5, whereas non-condensable gases and steam will flow out through inner passage l6 and chamber II in Whenever an excess of steamis supplied to the pipeloop, this steam will flow into chamber II in contact with the thermostaticelement It whereupon the thermostat will expand and close valve 5 thus temporarily shutting off thesteam supply.

.When the steam in chamber 1 l condenses and "diator.

disc IQ 'cools the valve will automatically open.

In this manner the pipe loop l2, l3 will be automatically kept full of steam or vapor at substantially atmospheric pressure, since the discharge end of the loop is open to the atmosphere.

The system as thus far described (except for the exhauster E) is substantially the same as the ordinary vapor heating system in which the pipe loop here indicated at I 2, I 3 is utilized as a rain the present system, although the loop may be utilized to radiate heat, its primary -purpose is to function as a supply-pipe from which vapor or low pressure steam is distributed to the several radiating units C, C and C". The supply-pipe l3 need only be long enough to provide convenient places for attaching the inlet ends of the several feed-pipes H, H and. I1" which lead to the respective radiating units. It will be noted that (in the present example) all opened by spring 31.

of the feed-pipes connect in pipe I3 at locations beyond or at the downstream side of exhauster E so that all of the steam flowing to the radiating systems must first pass through the exhauster or aspirator E, which in the example here shown is located near the end of pipe l2. 7 The condensate and other fluids discharged from the several radiators flow out through the respective return pipes l8, l8 and I8" all leading into the common return pipe l9 which discharges into the aspirator or exhauster E as hereinafter described. 7

Suitable inlet or cut-oil valves D, D' and D" are positioned in the respective feed-pipes in advance of the several radiating units. The radiators C, C and C" may be of any desired type but are here shown as comprising an inner feed-pipe through which the steam admitted through valve D flows to the opposite end of "the radiator into cap 2| and then back together with condensate through the outer pipe 22 in which inner pipe 20 is centered. The other end of outer pipe 22 discharges through steam-trap 23- into the return pipe l8. The outer pipe 22 is preferably provided with a plurality of spaced lins- 48 to increase the heat transfer surface.

The valves D and D are here indicated as ordinary hand-operated cut-01f valves, although-any or all of these valves may be electricallyop- 'eratedvalves of the form indicated at D-" in connection with'r'adiator C. This valve D" is 'of a typ which automatically closes but which is opened when an energizing circuit flows as follows: from the battery 24 or other source of power through wires 25 and 26, valve D", wire 21, switch 28, and wires 29 and 30 back to the battery. The switch 28 will be closed as long'as relay coil 3| is energized over the followingcircuit: from battery 24 through wire 25,

resistance 32, coil 3|, resistance 33, and wire 30 'backto the battery. The valve D will thus be open as long as the temperature in the compartmentor space heated by unit C" is below the desired temperature. When this tempera- -'ture is reached, a circuit will be closed through the thermostat 34fsuitab1y located in the compartment, thiscircuit being as follows: from one terminal of relay coil 3| through wire 35,

thermostat 34, and Wire 36 back to the other terminal of the coil. This will'short circuit the relay coil so that switch 28 may be automatically The valve D" will now automatically close. Each of the several inlet -'valv'e's' may be separately and thermostatically controlled in the 'manner just indicated, or by any other suitable means. It may here be stated that while three radiating units have been "shown lby way of example, there may be any reasonable number of these radiators all supplied'withvapor' from the same supply-pipe l3,

and each radiating unit may be separately 7 controlled; This system is especially suitable "for heating' thef several compartments of a railway passenger car.

' 'The'exhausteror aspirator E (see Fig. 2) comprises a closed substantially tubular casing jinto thei inlet end of which is connected the delivery pipe IZ leading from the vapor regulator, and from the discharge end of which leads V the supply-pipe I3. 'Within this casing is formed T a suitable web 38 so as to provide a restricted Venturi passage 39 through which the steam 'flows'at'increasedvelocity into the main aspirator chamber'40 and thusout through pipe I 3.

The return pipe l9 leads into chamber 40 ad- 'static' member 46 will contract and open the,

trapped in chamber 4| to drain out.

jacent the Venturi passage, and the suction or partial vacuum created by this Venturi in well known manner will draw fluids from pipe I?! into the chamber 40, these fluids being then carried along with the steam into and through pipe l3. It is to be understood that in this description and in the claim which follows the term aspirator is intended to cover any exhausting device of this Venturi or ejector type whereby the flow of steam under its initial pressure serves to suck the fluids in from the return pipe and thus create a circulation through the several radiating units.

In general operation, the vapor regulator B will function tokeep the supply pipe l2, I3 full of steam, as well as all of the radiating units that are in service, that is those units having the inlet valves D open. Whenever an excess of steam tends to force steam through the discharge portion of the vapor regulator, the

thermostatic element Ill will automatically close valve 6 and temporarily stop the initial steam supply. All of this steam is originally delivered through pipe l2 and through the Venturi portion of the aspirator under a substantial pressure, but the steam pressure in supply-pipe I3 and in the radiating units falls to substantially atmospheric pressure since the system is open to the atmosphere at the discharge end. Therefore only low-pressure steam is delivered through feed-pipes IT to the radiating units, but a substantially lower pressure is created in return pipes I8 and I9 by the suction of aspirator E so that a steam flow will be induced through each of the radiating units. The fluids returned from the radiating units through pipe I9, consisting of condensate, non-condensable gases and some steam will flow back into and through the supply-pipe l3 along with the fresh steam which creates the suction. 'The condensate will eventually drain out of the system through the vapor regulator, all of the piping being suitably inclined to facilitate this drainage.

Fig. 3 indicates a combined aspirator and supply valve suitable for use when only one radiating unit is to be supplied, or where a single tor E'.is, as before, provided with a Venturi passage 39 and the return pipe l9 discharges into the chamber 40 adjacent this Venturi. The feed-pipe instead of leading from supply pipe I3, leads from a feed chamber 4| formed above the discharge end of chamber 40 and connected therewith through a port 42 controlled by valve 43. This valve 43 may be of the type hereinabove described as D" and may be controlled thermostatically in the same manner.

Chamber 4| is also connected through the drain port 44 with aspirator chamber 40, port 44 normally being closed by valve member 45 7 carried by the thermostatic bellows 43 mounted on'adjusting screw 41. As long as chamber 40 -;is filled with steam, the bellows 4-5 will expand so as to hold valve 45 in position to close port 44.

Any condensate flowing back through feed-pipe will flow out through the main port 42 as long as the inlet valve 43 is open. However, when valve 43 closes this condensate 'will be pocketed in the chamber 4|. However, whenever the. main steam supply is cut off the thermodrain port 44 so, as to permit any condensate Of course V the greater portion of the condensate will always drain out or be sucked out through return pipe I9 into the aspirator chamber and then will flow out through pipe I 3.

The steam traps 23 serve to prevent the continued flow of steam thereby in either direction. Thus they not only tend to prevent wasteful circulation of steam when the radiator is filled but also prevent a reversal of the direction of steam flow when condensation creates a vacuum in the radiator, and when the main valve 6 of the vapor-regulator is closed, and the aspirator E is ineffective to create a suction on the return pipes I8.

I claim:

In combination with a radiating unit, and feed and return pipes leading thereto and therefrom an aspirator comprising a Venturi passage and a chamber beyond the venturi, supply anddischarge pipes connected to the respective ends of the aspirator for delivering a flow of steam through the Venturi passage and chamber, the return pipe discharging into the aspirator chamber adjacent the venturi, a feed-chamber positioned above the discharge end portion of the aspirator and connected with the aspirator chamber through a steam port, a cut-off valve controlling the port, the feed-pipe leading from the feed chamber, a drain port between the feed chamber and the aspirator chamber, a thermostatic element positioned within the aspirator chamber in the path of the steam flow, and a valve member carried by the thermostatic element and closing the drain port when the thermostatic element is expanded in the presence of steam.

WILLIAM M. SMITH. 

